Wallflower

6

Chapter 6: Un Cadeau de Biscuits

Avery's nose wrinkled, her features expressing confusion at Alex's statement. "I'm not sure I understand," she said, her tone sounding it out as if it was a question.

"It just kind of feels like you're bumping into me on purpose at this point," Alex shrugged teasingly while using a finger to twirl the end of her hair, pretending to be nonchalant. Avery couldn't help but notice how nicely the messy side braid she sported seemed to complement her face. There was no doubt that Alex was insanely attractive. For some reason, Avery blushed at both Alex's comment and her thoughts about Alex's appearance.

"I really didn't mean to. I didn't see you both times I swear," Avery fiddled with her fingers now that she had put her phone back in her pocket. Her blush subsided as her embarrassment turned into nervousness. Alex's smirk only widened to a smile that vanished as quickly as it came as she found herself amused by the shorter girl.

"Where are you headed?" Alex asked. Avery's attention was drawn to the small paper bag Alex was holding for just a second, letting curiosity fill her.

"I was just going to that booth there." Avery pointed to the booth behind Alex which her made the taller girl turn around to see it.

"Did you come alone?"

"No."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Avery realised that Alex was looking for her to elaborate. "I came with Carson."

"Cool. Mind if I sit with you guys for a while?"

The question stunned Avery, "Uh, s-sure. Carson won't mind at all." She paused, "And I wouldn't mind either."

"Okay."

When Carson scanned the room and spotted his friend, he was surprised (more confused) to see a person with seemingly long dark hair sitting next to her in their booth. He was at too far away of a distance to make out the face of who it was, but he knew all of Avery's acquaintances well enough to know that none of them had dark hair.

When he got to the booth and the mysterious dark-haired girl looked up, his confusion turned to shock when he found it was Alex.

"Hey, Alex," he smiled, receiving a small nod of acknowledgement from her and a half-hearted wave. "Here you go, Aves," he placed her green drink in front of her. Avery's eyes brightened as she received her drink and eagerly picked up her straw.

"Paper?" she asked Carson, making sure he had requested a paper straw rather than a plastic one. He nodded and she grinned, unwrapping it and placing it in her drink. She sighed happily after taking a sip, instantly forgetting her nerves that came from sitting next to Alex.

She drank her frappuccino as Alex and Carson started to converse, only stopping to observe when Alex opened her paper bag and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie. Carson paused in the middle of his sentence when he realised how long Avery had been looking at the cookie while Alex slowly broke off pieces of it and placed them in her mouth. "Uh oh," he chuckled.

Alex raised an eyebrow, following the direction of his gaze to the freckled girl sitting next to her.

"Avery really likes chocolate chip cookies," Carson explained for his best friend.

During her sipping not long ago, Avery had come to the conclusion that the only reason Alex decided to join them was that she liked Carson. It would explain why she asked her to sit with them only when she had mentioned Carson and why she sat next to Avery so she could sit across from him. Plus, Alex had barely spoken to her in the time they waited for Carson to arrive, not that she would have any reason to.